This intensive seminar provides students with the opportunity to refresh and update their research and writing skills. Skills reviewed will include the identification, analysis, citation and presentation of authorities; and standard research techniques, tools, and concepts, such as noting-up, controlled subject vocabularies, digests, and boolean searching. We will review the formats and media used to publish legal information, including commercial databases, open access web sites, and print. Additional topics covered will include the publishing and record-keeping practices of the major decision-makers, rule-makers, lobbyists, interest groups, etc.; the publishing and business activities of the significant commercial and non-profit disseminators of information and libraries; and the institutionalization of research activity in law firms, government and academia.
The course will also cover how artificial intelligence has been used in enhancing legal research efficiency and provides general guidance on how to select the right AI tools.
Method of Evaluation:
The grade is determined on the basis of in class participation, including in class discussion and a 10 minute research methodology presentation (20%) and a single research paper satisfying the Upper Year Writing Requirement, that is, a minimum 7,000 words in length paper, excluding notes, bibliography and appendices (80%).
The presentation needs to clearly outline the research method and resources applied in the chosen research project.
The paper can be on any legal topic approved by the instructor(s). The paper must state (a) facts (actual or imagined) which do or would give rise to one or more disputed points of law;(b) the order or orders actually or supposedly sought from that tribunal by the party initiating the action, application, prosecution, motion, appeal, etc. The paper itself is to be an argument, involving the disputed points of law, for or against the granting of the order or orders.
Finally, the paper must, as part of its argument, persuade the reader that the literature, research sources, and methodologies applicable to research on the topic have been thoroughly reviewed and considered. Along with the research paper, students are encouraged to submit additional comments which reflect upon the paper, and explain the choices made in the process of writing it.